Oxy Barrier Caps

[HomerT]

How do you guys sanitize your oxygen barrier caps? You can't get them wet, because that starts the oxygen absorbtion. SO far, I haven't done anything to the, just used them. But with my latest batch having the possible mold/infection in the bottles, I am now concerned.

-Todd

 

[HomerT]

ANyone elsle use this style cap?

 

[cgravier]

ive used them before and just treated them like normal caps, i just washed them in hot/soapy water, then rinsed them really well, and as i was bottling i had them in a weak iodophor/water solution untill ready to use. i didnt know you couldnt get them wet, i just know in general not to boil caps.

 

[Baron von BeeGee]

Couldn't you just submerge them in a no-rinse such as Star San and take them out as you cap? They wouldn't absorb much oxygen in a Star San solution.

Not to hijack, but as anybody bottled a batch with both these caps and regular to see if a difference can be detected?

 

[Rhoobarb]

Not to hijack, but as anybody bottled a batch with both these caps and regular to see if a difference can be detected?

I've wondered that, too. I've never used the oxy-barriers. I just use standard gold caps and boil 'em for five mins. I've only had on bottle that I can recall not carbonating in all this time.

One of the brewers - I'm pretty sure it's Rogue - touts the fact that they use oxy-barrier caps.

 

[cgravier]

I just use standard gold caps and boil 'em for five mins. I've only had on bottle that I can recall not carbonating in all this time.

i thought boiling them would ruin the plastic seal inside...last time i bottled i ran out of caps, so i used a few used ones i had laying around. this got me wondering, why cant you re-use caps? i didnt have a problem with the 2 or 3 i re-used. it seems that when i de-cap my beer, the caps look like they never been used (not all, but most).

 

[Rhoobarb]

...i thought boiling them would ruin the plastic seal ...

I've heard this, too. But, like I said, I've never had a real problem in 7+ years now. I just don't go beyond five mins. That said, I've toyed with the idea of just plunking them in a mild bleach/water solution, then rinsing - especilly if I were to use oxy-barriers.

Heck, I'll probably just stick with what I've been going.

 

[kneemoe]

i thought boiling them would ruin the plastic seal inside...last time i bottled i ran out of caps, so i used a few used ones i had laying around. this got me wondering, why cant you re-use caps? i didnt have a problem with the 2 or 3 i re-used. it seems that when i de-cap my beer, the caps look like they never been used (not all, but most).

though i keg most of my beer, i do bottle on occasion - and i reuse bottle caps like its my job (of course, i open bottles with the flat side of a lighter so it just kinda 'pops' them right off instead of bending em)
in fact, all my friends open bottles the same way, so i have *yet* to purchase bottle caps and i have literally lost track of the # of batches i've brewed....
so, in short, yes, you can

 

[cgravier]

though i keg most of my beer, i do bottle on occasion - and i reuse bottle caps like its my job (of course, i open bottles with the flat side of a lighter so it just kinda 'pops' them right off instead of bending em)
in fact, all my friends open bottles the same way, so i have *yet* to purchase bottle caps and i have literally lost track of the # of batches i've brewed....
so, in short, yes, you can

thats what i figured. i thought the reason my caps were not all bent-out-of-shape was cuz. i use a 20 doller wine opener/bottle opener. i didnt even clean the caps either, which is another myth about sanitation, i think its really hard to make a beer go bad at bottling time...(ive tried by 1. not removing labels 2. not cleaning bottles 3. spitting in a bottle before filling it...all with no spoilage)

 

[Thor]

Back to the original question, perhaps oven heat might do the trick? Of course, this depends on whether the plastic is heat-tolerant, but you could test it on one such cap and see. Laying them on a cookie sheet or foil at about 275 for an hour or so should do it. If that's too hot, try 200-225 degrees for 75-90 minutes. Not a flawless sanitization, but it is probably fine for bottling.

 

[skifast1]

Okay, so now I'm worried - I boiled my oxybarrier caps for 5 minutes per the "general rule" to boil 'em. Assuming I've boiled out all the absorption benefits, can I at least count on not ruining the beer? The plastic liner was definitely intact after boiling, so I think I still have a good hermetic seal and all that.

 

[DyerNeedOfBeer]

Dig through this as you like...



1)Subject: Oxy-cap sanitaion

I had reported what a person at one manufacturer of oxygen
scavenging caps had told me. Al K says,

"Secondly, this goes against what the lead engineer of the original
oxygen-absorbing caps told me personally (on the phone). He
recommended bleach solution at a rate of 200ppm free chlorine or
iodophor at a rate of 12.5 to 25 ppm titratable iodine."

Don't shoot the messenger, I'm just saying what the the guy told me,
that chlorine and iodophor are both oxidizers and will instantaneously
destroy the oxygen scavenging capabilities of the caps. I talked
to the other company that makes the caps with the clear liner.
Perhaps the formulations are dissimilar enough that chlorine will
effect one but not the other.




2)Subject: Re: Smartcaps

Someone (sorry) asked about SmartCap(tm) sterilizing.

A few months ago, Craig Martens posted a "letter" written by Bruce
Zenner
who headed the development of SmartCaps for Aquanautics. He said that
indeed the oxygen scavenging is activated by exposure to high humidity
and that boiling would render the caps virtually equal to regular caps.

He suggested that a water/household bleach solution or sodium
metabisulphite
should be used to sanitize the caps.





3)CONCERNING: USE OF SMARTCAPS*

Some friends and fellow brewers who are on BeerNet told me that there had been some
discussion of SmartCaps and how to use them effectively. Aquanautics developed these
crowns in collaboration with a closure manufacturer, ZapatA Industries. I headed the
development project.

These crowns have a liner material containing an oxygen scavenging formulation, and
can remove headspace oxygen and control oxygen permeation through the gasket material
for up to six months. The chemistry is a catalyzed oxygen reduction system, and is
generally regarded as safe (GRAS) by U.S. FDA criteria.

SmartCaps* are activated by exposure to high humidity, thus they are stable under
normal storage conditions, and activated by the moisture content in beer. However, they
should NOT be boiled to sterilize, since this will activate the oxygen reduction system
prior to use, and decrease the effectiveness of the SmartCaps following bottling.

If you sterilize your SmartCap crowns, do so by hypochlorite (bleach) or metabisulfite
treatment instead of boiling; you'll increase the effectiveness of the SmartCaps.